CRB Checking & Vetting Blog

So after all that, they went and stopped the ISA Registration process - has the world of CRB Checking and Vetting ever been more controversial!

So what was it all about?

Well the good news is that the rationale of the new coalition government in reviewing the vetting and barring scheme and the criminal records regimes, is said to be “to ensure that they are scaled back to common sense levels, while making sure that vulnerable groups are protected in a way that isproportionate and sensible”.

We all applaud that, and assuming there is a clear strategy that comes out of the government’s remodelling of the Vetting and Barring Scheme, then we would applaud that too. There’s still too much ‘grey area’ in this process and maybe this overhaul is timely.

The practical news, however, is that the new application form was still launched on the 26th July 2010, which was also the handover date for starting to process the new forms. The new purple forms were those originally designed for use with the now abandoned scheme and as a result there are changes to the way it has to be filled in - or in some cases where it doesn’t have to be filled in!

We’ve done a separate blog to cover the new CRB application form and attached a PDF from the horse’s mouth to make sure there is no misunderstanding!

But if you don’t have the time to read it, or you want to talk to experts about it, just ring CRB Checking and Vetting’s offices on 0845 901 1455.

For those of us old enough to remember Jimi Hendrix, let’s hope this new form hasn’t got us all in a ‘purple haze’!

Because the purple form was originally designed to cater for the requirements of the now defunct Vetting and Barring scheme, there are some potential pitfalls in the completion of the document, which we all want to try and avoid as it can slow the whole process down considerably, if forms are submitted incorrectly completed.

At CRB Checking and Vetting we are always on hand to help you understand the new application form completion process, so please don’t hesitate to phone us on 0845 901 1455 if it is all getting a bit confusing!

Put simply, just avoid completing those sections of the new form that relate to the ISA registration phase of the Vetting and Barring Scheme, unless you have been specifically informed to do so.

• You can ignore Section A Question 28
• Section D should be omitted until further notice
• Section X question 61 still only recognises the first 30 characters, so be precise here
• Section X questions 64 & 65 still need a Yes or No answer, as before

This is just a short selection of the things to look out for with our new purple friend - the full set of completion tips as issued by the CRB is contained in this PDF document.

CRB Checking and Vetting is one of those things that we all agree is right and proper to do, but somehow never seems very exciting or fulfilling when we actually get around to it. That’s why over the years organisations like ours have evolved, to help out employers who need to comply with all the CRB regulation, but don’t necessarily want to learn how it all works and who they have to talk to and chase up!

Talking of regulation, that’s been a moving feast recently as the coalition government starts to get involved! They announced, in mid June, that full implementation of the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) will be halted while it undergoes a thorough review.

The timing was unfortunate, as it could just cause a major headache for organisations which have been preparing for the July 2010 implementation of the scheme.

In the education sector, for example, self-employed private tutors, for whom the VBS is not a statutory requirement, will be feeling a sense of relief that they don’t need to get involved. However other tutors won’t be so lucky as they’ll still be affected because of their employment by schools or other so-called Regulated Activity Providers (RAPs).

But across all sectors, one of the most frustrating elements of CRB checking and the vetting procedure, is the time it takes to get a response and the waiting before we can finally employ our new recruit. We have ideas about that and have developed a FREE scheme for our customers that reduces the wait from five to six weeks, down to 48 hours.

Give CRB Checking and Vetting a call on 0845 901 1455 and we’ll explain to you how it works.